CHICAGO, IL [DOM] – HIs Eminence Archbishop Daniel of Chicago and the Midwest sent out a greeting to his clergy in anticipation of Holy Week and Pascha.
In the Archbishop’s message he encourages his clergy to enter deeply into the services of Holy Week and also expressed his appreciation for their “sacrificial service, your perseverance in prayer, and your dedication to the flock of Christ.”
The full text can be read here:
Beloved Fathers and Brothers in Christ,
As we stand at the threshold of Holy Week, the most sacred and solemn time in the life of the Church, I write to you with gratitude for your faithful ministry to the people entrusted to your care. In these holy days we will walk together with our Lord on the path to Golgotha, entering with Him into Jerusalem, contemplating the mystery of His voluntary Passion, His life-giving Cross, and His glorious Resurrection.
I encourage each of you to enter deeply into the services of Holy Week with prayer, reverence, and pastoral attentiveness. Through the beauty of the Church’s worship—through the Bridegroom Services, the remembrance of the Mystical Supper, the profound solemnity of Great and Holy Friday, and the radiant proclamation of the Resurrection—we are given the opportunity to lead our faithful into the saving mystery of Christ’s love for the world. May our own hearts also be renewed as we proclaim once again the Gospel of the Cross and prepare to announce with joy the Lord’s victory over death.
I thank you for your sacrificial service, your perseverance in prayer, and your dedication to the flock of Christ. Be assured of my prayers for you during these sacred days. May the Lord strengthen you in body and spirit as you lead your communities through the solemn journey of Holy Week toward the bright dawn of Pascha.
With my archpastoral love and blessing, I extend to you and to all your faithful a prayerful wish for a blessed and spiritually fruitful Holy Week, and in anticipation I greet you with the joy of the Resurrection: May your celebration of Holy Pascha be radiant and filled with the unending joy of the Risen Christ.
